Govt bans Chhatra League, declares it ‘terrorist organization’

The government on Wednesday night officially banned Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), the student wing of Awami League (AL).

In a gazette issued at night by the Ministry of Home Affairs, Chhatra League was also declared a “terrorist organization.”

The notification stated that since Bangladesh’s independence and especially during the last 15 years of authoritarian rule, Chhatra League has been involved in various public safety-threatening activities. These include murder, torture, dormitory-based harassment, dormitory seat trading, tender manipulation, rape, and sexual harassment. Evidence of these activities has been widely published by the country’s leading media outlets and in some cases, Chhatra League members have been convicted of terrorism-related crimes in court.

On July 15, during the ongoing anti-discrimination student movement, Chhatra League leaders and activists launched violent, armed attacks on protesting students and the general public, killing hundreds of innocent students and endangering many others, said the notification.

In the notification, the government claimed to have substantial evidence that even after the fall of Awami League government on August 5, Chhatra League remained involved in conspiratorial, destructive and provocative activities against the state, engaging in various forms of terrorism.

Citing these reasons, the government, under Section 18, Sub-section 1 of the Anti-TerrorismAct 2009, has banned Chhatra League and added it to the list of banned organizations under Schedule 2 of the Act.

The order will take immediate effect, according to the notification.